Research Examples

Burton Snowboards - All Burton boards are harvested and manufactured using sustainable practices. To demonstrate this, the FCS (Forest Stewardship Council) logo is printed on every board. This promotes what the brand are doing to be sustainable and are informing their audience in a simple but effective way. The simple icon represents the certified nature of the logo through incorporating a tick shape with the outline of a tree. 

Fairtrade - Trade between companies in developed countries and producers in developing countries in which fair prices are paid between the producers
- A simple way to make a difference to peoples lives
- A global movement
- Independent certification of the trade chain for products and license in the us of FAIRTRADE mark on products
- Empowering producers to sell to traders and retailers

Abstract shapes that represent the story behind Fairtrade. Has become a recognisable logo seen on food packaging. 

The CE marketing logo is another seen on food packaging. This certification mark indicates conformity with health, safety and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area. The use of initials provides recognition to the audience.

The approaches taken in the examples can be applied to a strategy to promote and identify Social Enterprises. They each have regulations that need to be met to receive the 'certifications' and therefore be able to display the appropriate logo. 

Social Enterprise in Scotland

http://www.se-code.net/

'The meaning of social enterprise is being eroded by the casual use of the term by a widening range of people. It is used by private businesses as a brand to access particular markets; by local authorities establishing arms length subsidiaries; it is even being eroded by third sector organisations which set the bar too low.

...

Many people prefer to establish enterprises for private profit – while delivering a whole range of social benefits. All these hybrid models are valuable contributions in a constantly evolving landscape – but it is not helpful to pretend that they are all vaguely the same thing.'

This evidence clearly demonstrates the need for a certification for social enterprises. It also identifies the need for a 'quality control' element to the solution. 

Idea Development

To experiment with possible logo ideas to be used to identify Social Enterprises, four of the main features of the business model were identified and then appropriate sketches made. 

An animation would be a simple and reach a large audience. 

Adjustments to current social enterprise businesses packaging brings identity to that brand. This does limit the exposure of the social enterprise status however would be unique and tailored to Divine Chocolate.  

In reflection of the developed ideas (1. A certification for all social enterprises 2. Adjustments to current social enterprise branding to reflect their motivations) the conclusion to continue developing idea 1 has been made. Although drawing attention to the current social enterprises is a plausible response to the research and investigation made, this limits the reachability of the social enterprise message. This is overcome by having a certified identity available to all social enterprises. 

Ideas

Wally Olins - On Brand

Originally, brands were simple household goods that represented consistency. At a time where the performance of a product was unreliable, many looked to brands to provide a consistent quality, quantity and price (W, Olins xxx) Since the turn of the industrial revolution, products have standardised and are able to be produced on a vast and global scale. This meant that the role of a brand changed as it now has to represent a manufactured product as unique and individual from the other like products. 

Branding is now largely about involvement and association. It encourages and allows the consumer to identify with the brand and therefore with themselves, 'Brands were created by marketing people inside large companies to seduce customers' W, Olins xxx. 

'Branding is increasingly employed by not-for-profit organizations and charities who compete in the emotional territory of people's hearts and minds with commercial brands for the money in consumer's products' - 

'It is we consumers who decide which brand will succeed and which will fail' :15
Whiteley would say that it manufacturer and not the consumer that has the power in the market place. A comparison of opinions can be drawn from here. 

No Logo, Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein (1999) No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies

:5 'think of the brand as the core meaning of the modern corporation, and of the advertisement as one of the vehicle used to convey meaning in the world.'

'The first mass-marketing campaigns, starting in the second half of the nineteenth century, had more to do with advertising than with branding as we understand it today' 
- Within this Klein is stating that a brand is not advertising. The designer is selling the product to the advertising and at this time, ignoring the creation of brand identity. This is something that has developed and changed over time and is important to understand when referring to the areas in the critical writing piece.

'What made early branding efforts different from more straightforward salesmanship was that the market was now being flooded with uniform mass-produced products that were virtually indistinguishable from one another. Competitive branding became a necessity of the machine age - within a context of manufactured sameness, image-based difference had to be manufactured along with the product.'
- The time of branding came about at the same time as the factory. This was an important time for manufacturers to brand and advertise their mass produced product as unique by associating it to a brand. This supports previous research and is a key in providing an understanding of how branding has changed.

:6 'The first task of branding was to bestow proper names on generic goods...'

'In the 1880s, corporate logos were introduced to mass-produced products like Campbell soup and Quaker Oats cereal.'

:7 'By the end of the 1940s, there was a burgeoning awareness that a brand wasn't just a mascot or a catchphrase or a picture printed on the label of a company's product; the company as a whole could have a brand identity...'

:20 The Body Shop started in the seventies however it wasn't until 1988 that it began to appear in a vast number of locations. In contrast to the goings on at Wall Street where brands were said to be failing, The Body Shop were opening between forty and fifty shops a year in the US. This vast expansion involved no expenses being spent on advertising as there was a strong brand image focusing on their ethical and ecological approach.  

:21 ' Branding, in its truest and most advance incarnation, is about corporate transcendence.' Klein writes that the products that will 'flourish in the future will be the ones presented not as "commodities" but as concepts: the brands as experience, as lifestyle'. - This theory is present in the majority of todays brands. The consumer is being sold a lifestyle through the brand and advertising which makes the product more than just a product. This is how brands ensure success. 

:24 In discussion between Klein and The Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick, it is explained that the stores aren't about what they sell, they are the conveyers of grand ideas. The late graphic designer Tibor Kalman described the role of this brand as 'The original notion of the brand was quality, but now brand is a stylistic badge of courage'. 

Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory in psychology. The theory is used to demonstrate the human motivations in life. For each level to be achieved the previous must be fulfilled. This relates to consumerism as individuals strive towards self-actualisation through the purchasing of products or services. This model can be used as an explanation of consumerism behaviours. 

Verbal Response Questionnaire

The results of this questionnaire identify and support original assumptions that there is a lack of understanding of Social Enterprises. Although more respondents said that they had heard of the term, many of the definitions given were incorrect or not to the full extent of the various definitions. Furthermore, the data also identifies the need for a greater exposure of social enterprises to ensure that consumers are supporting those businesses that they wish to.  

Measuring success

This is an area of exploration suggested in a tutorial. It would provide data to critically analyse the case studies against. 

https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/social_enterprise_in_the_uk_final_web_spreads.pdf 

Section 4: Measuring social impact

Social Impact Methodologies  

^ TOMS provides a response to each of these categories via their website. 

Social Return on Investment (SROI)
SROI combines an analysis of social, environmental and economic factors to draw out how an organisation creates and destroys value. It then, assigns a monetary value to every measured outcome as a way of comparing them. 

Target Audience Research

CONE Communications, September 23 2015

'From buying products associated with a cause they care about, to sing online networks to amplify social and environmental messages, Millennials are universally more engaged in corporate social responsibility efforts. - 2015 Cone Communications Millennial CSR Study. 

The study found that 9 in 10 millennials would switch brands to one associated with a cause. The study also found that two-thirds use social media to engage around such brands.

“This research reiterates the significant differences in how gender, life-stage and income level impact how Millennials want to be engaged in CSR efforts,” says Lisa Manley, executive vice president, CSR Strategy, Cone Communications. 

The research found that millennials are more willing to:
1. Purchase a product with a social or environmental benefit (87%)
2. Tell friends and family about CSR efforts (82%)
3. Voice opinions to a company about its CSR efforts (70%)
4. Volunteer for a course supported by a company they trust (74%)
5. Make personal sacrifices to make an impact on issues they care about
6. 70% would pay more for a product
7. 66% would share products rather than buying
8. 62% would take a pay cut to work for a responsible company

This research would suggest that it is millenials who are the most active in being socially aware. It is therefore important to encourage this interest and ensure that more information is available to millennials. 

Radical Everyone

Wolff Olins are a studio who help 'to create and build some of the most powerful and purposeful brands in the world'. Throughout their work they 'always design from the point of view of the user, creating experiences that are for the many rather than for the few'. 
As well as working with businesses, Wolff Olins also research into various sectors to influence their practice. Their most recent research based project was 'How Business Can Help People Create Change' in partnership with CitizenMe ('a data platform that empowers people with their personal data, and redefines consumer insights by giving businesses access to integrated digital and survey data') 

http://radicaleveryone.wolffolins.com/

01 Almost Everyone's A Pessimist

'Our research, based on 4000 responses across the UK, US, Germany and Brazil, reveals that only 34% have a positive outlook on the world. What's more, we're pessimistic about the chances of things changing in the near future, with 50% feeling things will only get worse. Only 35% feel they'll improve in the near term.'

02 Appetite For Radical Change

Slightly over half of the people that were surveyed think that we should be creating 'radically new systems'. This therefore supports change. 

03 High Expectations For Business

'In recent years, people have become disillusioned with the efforts of organisations and establishments - governments, businesses, international bodies - in bringing about positive change in the world. Instead, people credit individuals and groups of ordinary people working together.

When asked who ought to be driving change, groups and individuals remain in the frame (29% and 36% respectively). On top of this, 41% on average believe the business community has great potential. Respondents ranked business ahead of existing national governments, international bodies, activists & campaigners.'

The tables are each showing a different percentage in terms of how the respondents voted in each heading - Ought to bring about positive change, Most likely to bring about positive change and Who has brought most positive change.

'People want business to take an active role and aren’t looking for delegation or distance. When asked how businesses should be creating positive change in the world, focusing on sustainability (1st), doing good in the local community (2nd), and fostering innovation & research to tackle problems (3rd) were the most popular suggestions.' These are three key elements to keep in mind when researching particular brands.

Wolff Olins propose that the next step is to RETHINK. The next step they took in the research project was speaking to Mohsin Hamid who has big ideas about how business can help individuals create positive change in the world, specifically focusing on the way that they serve the consumer.
When asked if businesses can help in the discussion of the world tackling issues together, Hamid responds by says that 'the business community is vital to this conversation. Businesses are stakeholders in larger society and should shape it for the better.' This links to the focus of the critical writing piece in terms of the role that brands play in creating change. 

Primary Research

Proposal: Conduct survey to gather data into how many individuals are aware that such brands are a social enterprise and what they do because of this. 

This research direction has been influenced by speaking to individuals of the exploration of this piece of critical writing which has been explored in the Practical Work post. This is a key aspect of research as it demonstrates the lack of understanding around a social enterprise as well as showing that there is an evident lack of published information being given to the consumer.The results of this investigation would feed into the critical writing as well as provide a basis for the practical work.